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Category : Business, Commodities, Featured
London/Singapore. Indonesia’s coffee output is likely to hit a record of over 12 million 60-kg bags this crop year, the International Coffee Organization said on Monday, raising its forecast for the world’s third-largest producer by 13 percent.
The ICO did not give any reason for growing output in Indonesia, but Reuters surveys have shown that favorable weather should boost production.
But the upward revision for Indonesia was offset by reduced forecasts for some Latin American countries that have been grappling with coffee leaf rust, prompting the IOC to keep its outlook for global output unchanged at a rise of nearly 8 percent.
That prediction will continue to drag on global prices, already under pressure from an abundant off-year crop in top producer Brazil. New York arabica futures, which set the tone for London robustas, are still trading near a four-year low despite a recent rebound.
“I think the situation is disturbing. If you look at the entire situation now, we can’t hope for anything on the demand-side to push up prices,” said Joyce Liu, an investment analyst at Phillip Futures in Singapore.
“We really need to see some tightening in supply, whether in the form of farmers not willing to sell, a reduction in production or some export restriction to provide a kind of support for the market.”
World coffee production is expected to rise 7.8 percent from the prior season to 144.6 million 60-kg bags in the 2012/13 crop year, the ICO said in its June report, unchanged from its May forecast.
The rise has been driven by larger crops in key producing countries. Brazil’s output is unchanged from the May forecast at 50.83 million bags, but Indonesia’s production was revised up to 12.73 million in the current crop year from the 11.250 million bags estimated in May.
That means Indonesian output is on target to rise about 75 percent from the previous year, the ICO said.
Colombia’s output is expected to climb 24.1 percent to 9.50 million, higher than 8 million bags forecast in May.
Indonesia is the world’s second largest robusta producer after Vietnam, and the two countries together account for nearly a quarter of the world’s coffee output.
Robusta is either blended with higher-quality arabica beans for a lower-cost brewed coffee or processed into instant coffee. Falling global prices have prompted farmers in Vietnam and Indonesia to hold back stocks, sending premiums to multi-month highs.
Elsewhere, the ICO reduced its forecasts for Mexico and El Salvador due to the spread of roya, or coffee leaf rust.
“Coffee leaf rust has severely affected production in Central America, with total damage in the 2012/13 crop year estimated at around 2.7 million bags, costing some $500 million,” said the ICO.


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February 17, 2010
by Canadian Architect
Teknion Corporation congratulates Sam Edney, who placed seventh in the 38-sled field in the men’s luge event during the Vancouver 2010 Olympics. The 25-year-old Calgary native made history with his best-ever finish by a Canadian in the men’s singles luge competition. Teknion sponsored Edney through the Canadian Athletes Now Fund – or CAN Fund – a non-profit organization that enables Canadian athletes to pursue their dreams.
“As a Canadian-based designer and manufacturer of office furniture, Teknion has made it a priority to support Canadian design talent,” said Frank Delfino, President, World Markets. “During this Olympic year, we wanted to extend our support to Canadian athletes who have committed their lives to the pursuit of excellence. The entire Teknion team across the country was cheering on Sam. We are so proud of his amazing performance.”
Teknion announced its partnership with CAN Fund as part of the recent opening ceremonies of its Vancouver showroom at 1090 Homer Street – an exciting new venue that provides Canadian architects and designers the opportunity to pursue design excellence.
“Our Vancouver Showroom was completely redesigned to accentuate the latest new Teknion products and demonstrate how they enhance workplace performance,” said Delfino. “By demonstrating our award-winning products, it creates a showcase of design talent – and the impact we’re making in the world of work.”
CAN Fund is a not-for-profit organization devoted solely to raising funds and awareness for the country’s athletes. The fund was set up to help athletes prepare for international summer and winter games. Monies donated to the fund are put directly into the hands of athletes to support their training, coaching, nutrition and living expenses. The mission is to underwrite the expenses of as many athletes as possible, as support is needed years before the medals can be obtained. For more information, visit CAN Fund at www.canadianathletesnow.ca.

domain: news


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Konami Digital Entertainment has announced that eFootball PES 2021 Mobile is now globally available as a free download for iOS and Android devices.
The latest instalment in the PES Mobile series, which celebrated over 300 million downloads this summer, offers numerous key features and licenses already announced for eFootball PES 2021 SEASON UPDATE on PC and console.
Featuring player and team data from the latest season, eFootball PES 2021 Mobile offers sharp and responsive mobile football gameplay based on the console experience lauded as E3 2019’s “Best Sports Game”. Players will experience new Matchday mode events, updates to players, clubs and leagues, and much more.
PES 2021 Mobile offers a variety of officially licensed clubs from some of the top teams in European football, including FC Barcelona, Manchester United, Arsenal, Juventus, FC Bayern and new exclusive partner, AS Roma.
New additions will join the ‘Iconic Moment Series’, allowing players to relive and recreate even more magical moments from the careers of current and former football superstars. Starting today, Ronaldinho, Carlos Puyol and Deco will be released as Iconic Moment Legends. Players can also live out their football fantasy by signing various Legends to their myClub squad, including David Beckham, Francesco Totti, Diego Maradona, Steven Gerrard, Gabriel Batistuta, Fernando Torres and Karl-Heinz Rummenigge to name a few.
Data from real matches being played around the world is collated on a weekly basis and implemented in-game through the Live Update feature to create a more authentic experience. These updates affect various aspects of the game, including player Condition Ratings and team rosters.
Current PES Mobile users should visit the official website for more details regarding carryover data and other FAQs – https://www.konami.com/wepes/mobile/c/information/2021/en/#details
If you enjoy games and gaming and want more NEWS from the Gaming World Click Here


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COVENTRY-BASED NP Aerospace (NPA) has undergone a £71 million trade buyout backed by one of its major suppliers.
The Morgan Crucible Company has acquired a stake in NPA - one of Europe's largest thermoset moulding companies - in one of the first trade buyouts in the Midlands.
Bosses believe the deal signals the start of a new expansion phase for the company and that new jobs will be created as the business grows.
NPA supplies composite moulded products to the aerospace, medical imaging, automotive and defence industries.
The company's products, which are based on a range of advanced composite materials and production technologies, include ballistic resistant helmets and body armour, low X-ray absorbent medical structures and light-armoured vehicle structures.
NPA's armoured vehicles have been used by the MoD, police and various news teams, together with its body armour and helmets, for more than 20 years.
Founded in 1926, NP Aerospace was originally part of Courtaulds and has more than 200 employees and an office in Amman, Jordan.
Supplier Morgan Crucible is one of the world's leading specialist materials engineering companies.
It has headquarters in Windsor and operates across 90 manufacturing sites throughout the world.
Roger Medwell, chief executive of NPA, said: "NPA is known for being at the forefront of technology and there are numerous opportunities to develop our offering still further.
"We have plans for major expansion and the buyout will put in place the conditions we need to fulfil these.
"The partnership with Morgan Crucible will help us to access new technologies and markets and give us the support we need to flourish and grow.
"The Midlands has a highly skilled and available workforce due to the unfortunate closure of some key manufacturers in the region and we will be looking to recruit to pursue our expansion plans."


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GRAND RAPIDS — Because of the terrorist attacks, the National Retail Federation (NRF) revised its national retail sales forecasts for the fourth quarter and the holiday shopping season.
The NRF, the world’s largest retail trade association, dropped its fourth-quarter sales forecast from a previously reported 4-percent gain to 2.2 percent. The association also predicted that holiday sales would rise by 2.5 to 3 percent from last year, which would mark the smallest gain since 1996. Earlier the NRF had predicted a sales rise of 4 to 4.5 percent. A sales figure for last year’s holiday shopping season wasn’t available. But in 1999, holiday retail sales topped $186 million.
The NRF issued its revised forecasts in reaction to the uncertainty rising from the attacks on Sept. 11, and the week-long hits the NYSE and Nasdaq took after reopening on Sept. 17.
“Since the terrorist attacks are fresh and our country’s response not yet known, it is premature to make definitive judgments about the economy. We can only speculate based upon what we think the Administration will do and how consumers will respond,” said NRF Chief Economist Rosalind Wells.
“Recession remains a possibility; however, we feel that the strong underpinnings of the U.S. economy and the resilience of the U.S. consumer will force the stalling growth over the next few months to give way to a rebound beginning next year,” added Wells.
Larry Meyer, CEO of the Michigan Retailers Association, said last year’s holiday sales were flat across the state after a few years of rising receipts. As for the fourth quarter and the upcoming holiday selling season, Meyer said his group was taking things one week at a time.
“Frankly, I think anybody can guess, but it’s not even an educated guess at this point. We’re, right now, compiling our data from being in the field for our retail sales index, and just the number of returns being sent back has gone down considerably,” said Meyer.
“The most dismal part was that week after Tuesday. Nobody was in the stores at all. And I think you really have to look at this one week at a time and see what the return level is,” he added.
Meyer said he was told that some malls in the state were full on the weekend of Sept. 22-23. He hadn’t had time to verify that when the Business Journal contacted him, but he remarked that if it was true then things may be slowly returning to normal.
“We certainly know that the weekend after the tragedies, the movie theaters were full. Those were some of the biggest days for movies in a long time. So I think people are returning to stores,” said Meyer. “I do think we are a very resilient people. So my guess is all of that self-confidence will return. The speed of that return is another question.”
Barbara Mannino, marketing director for Woodland Shopping Center, said consumer traffic did pick up for the weekend of Sept. 22-23. She felt that consumers went to the malls because people wanted to be together and they saw shopping centers as comfort zones for some social interaction and reassurance.
“We did a check on our stores, some key stores plus our majors, and Marshall Field’s said their sales have been good. Penny’s said immediately after [the attacks] they were a little bit slower, but then they had a good weekend. I know that some stores are trying to do some special promotions, at this time,” said Mannino.
As for the upcoming holiday season, Mannino said they were putting together a sales forecast, having just received data from the stores. She expects to have that forecast within a week or two. But Mannino remains optimistic about the holiday season because shoppers will find some new fashions on the shelves this year.
“There has been a lot of fashion change in clothing this year, which we haven’t had for the last couple of years. There are a couple of ‘must-have’ items this year, in women’s fashion in particular, and in men’s fashion in colors,” she said. “So we’re hoping that will affect fall and carry over into the fourth quarter.”
Randy Zimmerman, general manager of RiverTown Crossings Mall, also said that he would have a better handle on expected sales in a few weeks.
“We don’t really know what the impact is going to be. We haven’t fully cemented our plans, yet. So, it’s a little premature for me to talk about it now,” said Zimmerman. “Probably by mid-October we might have a better idea of where things are going to be.”
Rich Pangratz, general manager of the Lakes Mall in Fruitport, said it was too early for the region’s newest shopping center to have a sales forecast for the quarter and its first-ever holiday-shopping season.
“Being that we’ve just had a grand opening, we really have no sales projections at this point. The merchants, being new here, are a little sketchy too on projecting sales,” he said.
Consumers are being counted on to lead the economic recovery. But another 100,000 lost their jobs last month, and economists are worried that those who are still working will cutback on spending.
Consumers spent $728.6 million with stores in the first quarter of 2001, and nearly $807.5 million in the second quarter to keep the economy afloat while business spending fell. The third-quarter estimate of retail sales will be released by the U.S. Department of Commerce next month.
NRF President and CEO Tracy Mullin felt that consumers hadn’t stopped shopping, but were limiting their purchases. Mullin, however, feels that will change in November.
“With a few notable exceptions, such as American flags, consumers are currently focusing on basics, buying out of necessity not desire,” said Mullin. “We expect consumer spending patterns to begin to return to normal levels as the holiday season approaches.”


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The 77-page complaint, filed in King County, Washington State, was prepared by Washington D.C. law firm Tycko & Zavareii and Peterson Young Putra, of Washington State. The complaint generally argues that Clearwire service hasn't been as fast or reliable as advertised and when consumers seek to cancel their service they are pressured to pay early termination fees.
In an e-mail, a spokesman quoted Clearwire as saying: "As a matter of company policy, Clearwire does not comment on pending legal matters." He added that the complaint appears to refer to pre-WiMax service.
Last year, leading wireless service providers including AT&T, Sprint and Verizon Wireless all eased their early termination fee policies under pressure from the FCC and consumers. At the time, then-FCC chairman Kevin Martin said he favored termination fees that would more accurately track the actual cost of phones received by consumers -- for instance, a $100 phone would have a lower termination fee than a $250 fee.
The Clearwire complaint includes plaintiffs from Washington State, Hawaii, Minnesota and North Carolina. "We believe these complaints are very widespread," said Jonathan Tycko, one of the plaintiff's attorneys.
The complaint does not address the actual WiMax technology. WiMax is still an emerging technology, particularly its mobile features. Currently Baltimore and Portland are the only two U.S. urban areas with mobile WiMax. Clearwire is rolling out the high-speed mobile WiMax service rapidly and plans to introduce commercial service in several U.S. cities by the end of the year.
InformationWeek has published an in-depth report on private cloud computing. Download the report here (registration required).
This article was edited on 4/24 to clarify the suit does not include WiMax services.


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In typical Walmart fashion, the corporation has made plans to undercut its competitors. A new service, codenamed "Tahoe," could eventually compete with Amazon Prime. Prime has really been in a league of its own for some time, having no one to compete with its fast shipping options and wide range of media available for $99 a year.
Walmart has no plans to compete with the Amazon Kindle or Fire Stick with its new service yet, but plans to save you money. Nothing unusual there, but some would say you pay for what you get. Although Walmart owns movie streaming company Vudu, no streaming services are included in the $50 fee you'll pay for Tahoe. That could change in the future but Walmart probably needs to improve Vudu and Fire Stick competitor, Spark, before it can offer something good enough to be considered a true competitor. The Verge says Spark doesn't support apps at all.
Anything you order from the one million products available with Tahoe will arrive in three days or less. That doesn't compare to the 20 million items you can get in two days, from Amazon, but it's a start. Shipping is free, as with Amazon.
Tahoe will be available by invitation in some regions this summer, according Ravi Jariwala, a Wal Mart spokesperson who spoke to CNet recently. Like another Amazon competitor, Jet, Tahoe will evolve with customer feedback in mind. According to Tech Crunch, Wal Mart likes to test new products and services on its existing customers. So, Tahoe's initial users might be in suburban areas, mostly. If the data doesn't show enough potential demand, Walmart will pull the plug.


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by Dheeraj Tagra
26-November-2018 | 7 mins read
The problem of pollution has engulfed Delhi-NCR (National Capital Region) like never before, with people left with no option but to inhale the ‘very poor’ air, in the city. According to System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR), Particulate Matter 10 (PM10), which cause respiratory diseases, has been recorded at a dangerous level of 372 in the region. The four major apparel manufacturing hubs, Noida, Ghaziabad, Gurgaon, and Faridabad, have been equally affected as they too recorded “very poor” air quality.
These difficult conditions are also hampering apparel export business with delay in production with few buyers also cancelling their visits. Animesh Chakraborty, Senior Executive Sourcing and Merchandising, United Colors of Benetton, Noida shared with Apparel Resources, “Severe pollution followed by festive holidays (Diwali) has really affected a lot on our ‘Time & Action’ plans. Based on Delhi government’s decision, all printing & dyeing mills were closed for almost 2 weeks (4th to 15th Nov) and the same has resulted into a big stockpile, which has really impacted a lot on the business too.”
He further added that most of the buyers are either from the UK or from the US, who will be on off in the next couple of weeks in the wake of Christmas and New Year. “Delhi-NCR based mills were reopened on 16th November and almost maximum buyers will go off by the second week of December. In this scenario, the entire work of November and December has to be completed within three weeks only,” he added.
Animesh strongly feels that this is also one of the reasons Fall/Winter business in India is comparatively less than Indonesia, China, and Bangladesh.
“A few days back I got an email from my Panipat-based supplier that due to all these things factories will remain closed for a few days. So, my sampling, as well as my shipment, is delayed by at least 15 days. And I can’t say how it will take shape. Even buyers can cancel the order as they need delivery exactly on time. So, we are facing difficulties due to pollution,” shared Lokesh Parashar, Director, Adkindia LLC, Delhi who is also associated with Federation of Buying Agents (FBA).
Few buying houses representatives confirmed the cancellation of their buyers visit which directly increased buying houses’ work burden as well as impacted business too. Sandhya Samuel, GM- Merchandising, Find Agencies, Noida shared, “Buyers are regularly getting the updates about Delhi. We had a buyer’s visit plan a few days back but they cancelled the visit and asked us to come to Europe as they could not come to Delhi due to pollution. This had a direct impact on business. Another buyer enquired about the pollution and asked to provide masks during his visit to Delhi-NCR.”
She further adds that quality controllers are avoiding to go outside for factory visit… everybody wants to stay in office. Since some of the factories, especially in Ghaziabad, have remained closed due to pollution, there has been a delay in the production as a result of which shipments are under pressure. We have informed the buyers about this delay and have asked them to give us more time.
Pradeep Nahata, Director, Karni Exports, Jaipur shared his experience, saying, “Recently one of our buyers from Norway directly came to Jaipur. She had heard a lot about Delhi’s pollution and avoided to go to Delhi due to the same. She called Delhi-based exporters to Jaipur and had met here only as she went back from Jaipur. Few other buyers do have such pollution related discussion with me.”
Buyers avoiding visits is obviously not a good sign as it directly impacts the business.
Apart from buyer’s visitations and delayed production, pollution too had very negative impact on workers’ health. Looking into this, some export houses are taking steps. Like Pawan Arya, VP-Operations, Orient Craft, Noida told, “We are facing this pollution issue from past many years and it has the regular impact every year. We give masks to our each and every worker. Workers who are not willing to wear these masks, we made them aware of health issues in the future. Post-Diwali we noticed very high absenteeism due to throat choking and mild fever issues in our workers and staff. Just a few days back we organized a health check-up camp in which doctors examined workers regarding hypertension, bones, chest, and lungs.” Orient Craft is one of the leading apparel export houses of India, with factories across the country.
Many apparel manufacturing factories have done counselling of workers that how they can save themselves from pollutions, and steps of self care. KC Biswas, Senior Manager, HR & Compliance, Kavita Women Wear, (Lakshita) Noida stated, “Our company is already providing buses to our workers so they have comfortable means to come and go to the factory. Masks are already given to them and they use it properly. So I have not come across any impact on our workers due to pollution. Despite that, we have guided our workforce about pollution. From last few months, we are focusing more on health and safety issues and giving training for the same so workers are more aware and safer from all such things.”
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- An estimated $661 billion worth of beer was sold around the world in 2017.
- Of the 10 most popular beers in the world, half are nearly unknown in the United States.
- Here are the 10 biggest brands in beer.
The most popular beers in the world aren't necessarily the ones most Americans would expect.
Globally, the beer industry sold $661 billion worth of beer in 2017. While craft beer is on the rise, it makes up just a tiny percentage of those sales.
Instead, the biggest brands in beer dominate the industry. The top 50 biggest beer brands in the world account for 48% of beer consumption, according to a report by Bank of America Merill Lynch.
And, some of these mega-brands are names that Americans have likely never heard of, much less tasted. Of the 10 most-popular beers in the world, half are nearly unknown in the United States.
Here were the 10 biggest brands in beer in 2017, according to global sales by volume as estimated by GlobalData Consumer:
Estimated 2017 hectoliters: 26.5 million
Chicago-based MillerCoors — owned by Molson Coors — is scrambling to boost Coors Light sales. Earlier in September, the brewer announced that it was restructuring, eliminating roughly 350 salaried positions across the company.
"We are moving quickly and decisively to get our business back on track," MillerCoors CEO Gavin Hattersley said in an email to distributors, according to a news report on the company's website.
Estimated 2017 hectoliters: 28.8 million
Corona's business is booming outside of Mexico, with imports making up an increasing portion of the brand's business. Constellation Brands, which imports, markets, and distributes Corona in the US, reported that beer sales grew 10% in 2017, driven in part by Americans' growing desire for Mexican beer.
Estimated 2017 hectoliters: 29.7 million
Yanjing is a Chinese brand that was created in 1980. In the first half of 2018, Yanjing Beer reported revenue of HK$6.64 billion during the period, or roughly $850 million, a year-on-year increase of 8.9%.
"Yanjing Beer followed positively the new trends of being younger, fashionable and personalized in beer consumption in China and achieved increase in its average selling price per ton of beer," parent company Beijing Enterprises Holdings Limited said in a press release in late August.
Estimated 2017 hectoliters: 29.9 million
Harbin claims to have China's oldest brewery. The brew has a large following in Northeast China, where it originated, but is actually owned by Anheuser-Busch InBev.
AB InBev and SAB Miller battled for Harbin in 2004 in a bidding war in which AB InBev (the parent company of Budweiser and Bud Light) emerged victorious with a deal that valued Harbin brewery at $720 million.
Estimated 2017 hectoliters: 34.3 million
While Dutch brewer Heineken's namesake beer is in the top 10 biggest beer brands in the world, the company is increasingly dabbling in some unexpected brews in 2018.
In August, Lagunitas, Heineken's California beer label, debuted a nonalcoholic beverage made with THC, called Hi-Fi Hops. The $8 drink is available in a handful of marijuana dispensaries in California, where the drug is legal.
Estimated 2017 hectoliters: 35.1 million
Skol was crafted by a combination of British, Canadian, Swedish, and Belgian breweries, with the goal of creating an international lager. Today, the AB InBev-owned brand is almost entirely sold in Brazil.
4. Bud Light
Estimated 2017 hectoliters: 44.8 million
While Bud Light is still No. 1 in sales in the US, it's in the No. 4 slot worldwide. Despite its popularity, the brand has struggled to grow sales in recent years.
In 2017, parent company AB InBev built buzz around the brand with the viral "Dilly Dilly" campaign. However, it was unable to stop the continue negative trend in Bud Light's share of the market.
Estimated 2017 hectoliters: 49.0 million
Tsingtao is sold almost entirely in China, where it is often served in 640-milliliter bottles along with a glass of ice or, perhaps, even sipped through a straw out of a bag. The beer's history begins in 1903, under the name Germania-Brauerei.
Tsingtao Brewery reported in late August that profits grew 13.4% in the first half of 2018, thanks in part to cost-cutting measures.
Estimated 2017 hectoliters: 49.2 million
The king of beers isn't quite the king of the world, but it is close.
However, Budweiser is struggling to stay in control. Anheuser-Busch InBev sales dropped by 3.1% in the second quarter as both Bud Light and Budweiser failed to grow market share.
Estimated 2017 hectoliters: 101.2 million
Far and away the most popular beer in the world is Snow, more than doubling Budweiser's sales by volume.
The power of Snow is drawing the attention of other beer giants. Early in August, Heineken announced plans to take a 40% stake in CRH Beer Limited (CBL), the largest beer producer in China and Snow's parent company.


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Snapchat is reportedly working on a subscription plan and could give users access to several features, including the ability to pin a conversation. With the rollout of Snapchat+, users may have to pay to access exclusive, experimental and preview features on the social media platform. With the premium subscription, Snapchat users will get personalized Snapchat icons and a special badge. The upcoming feature was first spotted by a notable developer on Twitter. According to him, the Snapchat+ subscription starts at 4.59 euros (about 370 rupees) per month.
Noted Developer Alessandro Paluzzi (@alex193a) on Twitter suggested that Snapchat is working on a new subscription plan called Snapchat+. Users who opt for the subscription plan will get access to personalized Snapchat icons, a special badge, and allow users to pin a conversation with a friend. The screenshot shared by Paluzzi shows the pricing details for the Snapchat+ subscription.
According to the tweet, the one-month Snapchat+ subscription costs EUR 4.59 (around Rs 370), while the six-month plan is priced at EUR 24.99 (around Rs 2,000). The one-year subscription plan is displayed with a price of EUR 45.99 (about Rs. 3,700). Also, the company might offer a one-week free trial to users. Payment is supposed to be charged to user’s play store account and subscriptions can be auto-renewed after a selected interval until user cancels it.
Snapchat, however, has yet to share any information about the premium service’s release.
The social media platform has recently introduced many new features. He announced a new Shared Stories feature that allows users who have already been added to a Shared Stories group to invite other Snapchatters to that group to view and contribute to the story. Additionally, Snapchat parent Snap has expanded its partnership with ShareChat’s Moj to integrate its AR camera kit into MX TakaTak. With this, the MX TakaTak app now offers the ability to access new camera experiences powered by Snapchat’s Augmented Reality (AR) technology.
For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on Twitter, Facebook and Google News. For the latest gadget and tech videos, subscribe to our YouTube channel.
Huawei Enjoy 50 with Kirin 710A, Harmony OS 2.0 is on sale: all the details


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BLOOMFIELD, N.Y. -(Ammoland.com)- The Crosman Corporation will unveil their 2017 products and innovations at SHOT Show booth 13940.
New products and innovations include the all new Silencing Barrel Device (SBD) break barrel platform, a new addition to the popular Marauder platform, a semi-automatic PCP(Pre-Charged Pneumatic) air gun, and a completely new lineup of licensed Remington, Bushmaster, Marlin and DPMS air guns.
“Our team has been diligent in bringing innovation to our line of quality air guns over the past year and are excited to share these advancements at the 2017 SHOT Show,” says Crosman V.P. of Marketing and Product Design, Jennifer Lambert.
Crosman’s new SBD (Silencing Barrel Device) is a design innovation that significantly reduces noise during the shot cycle.
The SBD system is the first to bring an eccentric silencer design to air guns, which allows for an oversize baffle and maximum volume in the chamber without obstructing the shooter’s field of view. SBD technology will be featured on five new Benjamin branded break barrel air guns.
The new Benjamin Marauder Field and Target Edition is the most versatile and accurate Marauder ever. The Marauder Field and Target Edition is built for both target shooting and hunting. It’s equipped with an externally adjustable regulator which allows the shooter to choose between unregulated full power shots for hunting, or regulated shots at lower velocity for target shooting.
Crosman has also expanded their PCP offerings with the introduction of the Benjamin Wildfire. The Benjamin Wildfire is a semi-auto PCP air rifle which can get up to 60 shots per fill. The Wildfire includes a 12-shot clip and a rifled barrel for serious backyard fun.
Crosman is also introducing a complete new lineup of replica air guns under the Remington, Marlin, DPMS, and Bushmaster brands, including the all new RP45 replica which mirrors the feel and functionality of Remington’s RP9 pistol.
All Crosman’s new products will be on display at booth number 13940 at SHOT Show in Las Vegas, Nevada January 17 – 20, 2017.
Crosman’s roots began with a simple, yet powerful, credo of quality and innovation. From its inception, Crosman’s principal products have served the shooting sports, primarily air guns and air gun ammunition. Today, Crosman has a diversified product lineup that includes optics, archery and airsoft products, while continuing sustained growth in air guns.


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The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation on July 10 will outline plans to ease traffic congestion near the Millcreek Mall.
The department plans to widen Zimmerly and Interchange roads from Zuck Road east to the bridge over Interstate 79. Plans include a center turning lane on the interstate bridge and a right-turn lane for eastbound traffic entering Route 99.
The $12 million to $14 million project will also include a new bridge over Walnut Creek, just west of the I-79 interchange, and new traffic signals, PennDOT spokesman Jim Carroll said.
Traffic near the Millcreek Mall often backs up during the holiday shopping season and special events, including the recent grand opening of the Field & Stream store in the Millcreek Marketplace, south of Interchange Road. Traffic on the road was at a standstill at times during special events at the store June 13-15.
Other recent Marketplace developments have also added to traffic volume near the mall.
A Jared jewelry store opened at 2081 Interchange Road in November. Cheddar's Casual Cafe opened at 2085 Interchange Road in March 2012.
Still to come is a 75-room hotel that will be built on the north side of Interchange Road, just east of Red Lobster.
Transportation engineers will design the Zimmerly/Interchange Road improvements in 2015. Construction is expected to begin in 2016 and finish in 2017.
Project plans will be presented to the public at First Alliance Church, 2939 Zimmerly Road, at 6 p.m. on July 10. The plans will be available for inspection from 5:30 to 7 p.m.
VALERIE MYERS can be reached at 878-1913 or by e-mail. Follow her on Twitter at twitter.com/ETNmyers.


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Mobile’s growing influence on shoppers may be forging a new retail regime, but brick-and-mortar is still king during the back-to-school shopping season. A new study from Accenture says that 89% of parents of school-age children will be scouring stores to touch merchandise and save on shipping fees. What stores they walk into, however, will often be determined by “webrooming”—browsing online to determine pricing and in-stock status.
“The idea that we’re seeing the death of the physical store is not borne out by the results of this survey,” says Dave Richards, managing director of Accenture’s global retail practice, which polled 500 parents of kindergarten-to-college-age kids on their back-to-school plans.
Learning whether an item was in stock was the chief reason people gave for engaging in webrooming, according to the survey, with 47% naming that purpose. Avoiding shipping costs (43%), touching and feeling products before buying (43%), and asking stores to match lower prices (33%), were the other key motivations.
“The fact that the majority of parents we surveyed plan to participate in webrooming underscores the significance of having a consistent and convenient experience across all retail touchpoints,” Richards says, noting that it’s imperative for retailers to arm store associates with mobile devices to solve problems and move transactions.
“Customers have to have the current information at their fingertips,” Richards adds. “Retailers need to look at how to integrate interactive experiences that connect in-store shopping experiences with omnichannel capabilities.”
Just over half of parents (52%) told Accenture they expected to spend more on back-to-school items this year, while only 11% said they would spend less. Two fifths put their budgets at $500 or more. Right now is the peak period for marketers to be reaching out to shoppers via their mobile connections. Some 58% said they’d do most of their shopping between July 16 and August 15.
Those who plan to do their shopping online will stick primarily to home computers (89%), though nearly a third said they’d likely make purchases via mobile devices. Price, not convenience, was the key reason named for going the digital route. Nearly two thirds said they expected to find better discounts online, 59% were after the lowest prices, and 44% named the convenience of home shipping.


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08 June 2021
Apart from the devastating loss of life, one of the undeniable consequences of the Covid19 pandemic has been the cost to the UK economy. We may not know the true costs for some time, but by January this year the National Audit Office had estimated that over £271 billion had been spent by Government on new COVID related programmes. This was equivalent to £9,700 per UK household.
At the time, our overall financial deficit was expected to be £394 billion, which is £339 billion higher than had been anticipated. By March 2021, the Centre for Economics and Business Research had calculated that the virus had cost the UK economy £251 billion.
Did anyone benefit? Unfortunately, the answer is yes, organised crime. Over the past year, the Anti-Counterfeiting Group has never been busier. Intelligence streamed in about fake producers and sellers using the internet to peddle their shoddy and dangerous products, while they manufactured and stockpiled even more, in readiness for restrictions to be lifted.
With billions falling out of the economy in support of universities, local authorities, the NHS and the Job Retention Scheme, huge amounts were also being syphoned into criminal hands, because of accelerating the shift towards internet buying, with consumers being duped into buying fakes.
Around 60% of consumers say that they will continue to buy as much online, after the pandemic, and counterfeiters have been very clued into this trend. Infiltrating legitimate online markets, auction platforms and social media sites and hiding behind bogus website stores, criminals tricked people into buying fake products that could not only endanger their families, but also heighten wider threats to health and safety during the crisis.
It has not stopped there. Traditional markets continue to be infiltrated by organised criminal gangs seeking to distribute their manufactured goods. Just this week Birmingham Trading Standards and CENTSA’s Regional Investigation Team supported by the West Midlands Police and ACG, carried out a major operation which led to the seizure of thousands of counterfeit goods, on their way to a major Midlands market, which would have made thousands of pounds for criminals engaged in all forms of illicit trade, including money laundering.
The clear message from ACG to consumers on World Anti-Counterfeiting Day 2021 is, if you want to help rebuild our economy and safeguard your families don’t buy into organised crime, it will only bring long-term harm and misery.
ACG represents more than 3,000 brands affected by this influx of fakes into the UK and delivers an international network of information, advice and contacts on all aspects of IP protection. Working with Government and law enforcement agencies since 1980, ACG is focused on providing an effective and sustained response to counterfeiting.
Membership with the ACG is the best way to work with government and enforcement bodies to protect your brand. Our Roadshows and training days help you reach out to police, trading standards and border force officers and tell them about your genuine products.


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“Teen torches warehouse over poor computer game performance”
Check out this story from Livenews. Apparently, some kid got pissed off from being a noOb and decided to torch some poor warehouse. Way to go kid! You’re officially a flamer.
Teen torches warehouse over poor computer game performance
South Korean police have arrested a teenager for setting fire to a local warehouse over unhappiness at his poor performance at computer games.
The 15-year-old confessed that he carried out the arson attack on the warehouse atop a four-storey building because “his computer games did not go well” at an internet cafe on the first floor, Yonhap news agency said.
The Saturday evening fire in Chuncheon, 85km east of Seoul, caused damage estimated at four million won ($A4,300).
Police identified the suspect only as a high school student, while withholding his name and the school he was attending.


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Amazon Shoppers Forgo Big-Ticket Items as Prime Sale Gets Going
Amazon.com Inc.’s fall sale for Prime subscribers kicked off Tuesday with price-conscious shoppers mostly snapping up deals on low-cost kitchen gadgets and apparel rather than splurging on big-ticket items.
Amazon.com Inc.'s fall sale for Prime subscribers kicked off Tuesday with price-conscious shoppers mostly snapping up deals on low-cost kitchen gadgets and apparel rather than splurging on big-ticket items.
Customers spent an average of $38 during the event's first eight hours, up 2% from the same period last year, according to Attain, a research firm that harvests data from credit card transactions.
While shoppers are skimping on their purchases now, Amazon is monitoring customers' browsing activity so it can offer them customized deals later in the season when they're prepared to spend more, said Brian Mandelbaum, chief executive officer of Chicago-based Attain. Other retailers looking to draft off Amazon's sale are doing much the same.
“This is a master class of how to have foresight into the consumer ahead of the season,” he said. “Each shopper will have their own symphony of offers heading into the holidays.”
Consumers are grappling with stubbornly persistent inflation even as their debt obligations balloon and savings shrink. The resumption of student loan payments, which were suspended during the pandemic, also are expected to weigh on spending.
US online sales in November and December will rise 4.8% to $222 billion, according to Adobe Inc., beating last year's 3.5% growth, but well below the pre-pandemic level of 13% reached in 2019.
Numerator, another research firm, said top-selling items so far during the sale include Amazon-branded batteries. About 60% of items sold cost less than $20 while only 3% were more than $100, according to the firm, which culled data from 890 shoppers who placed 1,379 orders.
Amazon launched its Prime Day summer sale in 2015 to attract new subscribers, who pay $139 a year for shipping discounts, video streaming and other benefits. The event helps Amazon lock in shoppers before the holidays and deepen its relationship with existing customers by offering them exclusive deals on Amazon gadgets and other products.
The Seattle-based company added a second event last year, called Prime Early Access Sale, that saw shoppers largely shun pricey products and load up on discounted pantry items instead. This year's fall sale has been renamed Prime Big Deal Days.
During the two-day period, totalUS online sales will reach $8.1 billion, up 6.1% from a year earlier, according to Adobe.
Consumers seem prepared to start their holiday spending early as long as they deem the discounts sufficiently compelling. Some 64% of shoppers said they'd begin shopping in October this year, up from 53% a year ago, according to a survey conducted by RetailMeNot, which monitors online deals.
About 58% of those surveyed said they'll shop Amazon's Big Deal Days and planned to spend $154, which is about $100 less than what those surveyed planned to spend during the Prime Day sale in July.
“People are definitely out there looking,” RetailMeNot editor Kristin McGrath said. “How well these sales do, and how much people actually buy, remains to be determined.”


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It was the perfect day for putting on a bikini, smearing on the Bain de Soleil, and baking poolside under a July sun in the suburbs.
But, the 49-year-old career woman drove instead to a small shopping center on Lee Highway in Fairfax County. There she entered a private room, turned the radio to a Nat King Cole and Frank Sinatra station, and basked for an hour in an ultraviolet purple haze.
Like many area residents, she wants a summer tan, and she's getting it from indoor tanning lamps. No biting insects. No getting stuck in ocean traffic, with children jumping up and down in the back of the station wagon.
"Do you know how long it takes to get a tan at a pool?" she asked.
There are about 30 tanning salons in the Washington area, and despite the concerns of many physicians that tanning lamps may cause skin cancer, there are hundreds of hard-core enthusiasts who would rather pay to tan at a shopping center than get one for free outside.
"I feel better with a tan," said Cerphe Colwell, 35, of Reston, a radio announcer and a tanning customer. "For me, growing up in the 1960s, tans were kind of a status symbol of one kind or another. I guess they still are."
"I guess vanity sends me to a tanning salon," said Pat Kozar, 33, a hairdresser from Rockville.
Many tanning salon clients won't discuss their color. They say that would be like telling the world the natural color of their hair or which plastic surgeon did their nose.
"Some of them, not even their husbands know they go to a tanning salon," said Karen Brutsche, manager of The Suntan Shop in Reston. "They'll wear a sunsuit, so they have marks, and they try not to look too tan."
Salon owners say their customers acquire tans that look natural and come without the risk peeling or blistering. Some claim that indoor tanning is less damaging because the tanning lights emit mostly ultraviolet-A rays, which tan, not the burning ultraviolet-B rays.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, however, warns that suntan salon users should wear protective goggles and that clients on medication should consult their physicians because certain drugs are photo-sensitive and tanning in a salon may cause an adverse reaction, said spokesman David L. Duarte.
A spokesman for the American Academy of Dermatology cautions that, among other things, overexposure to suntan salon rays contributes to the development of skin cancer in laboratory animals. "There are no known beneficial effects of sun exposure or of tanning booths to human health," he said.
At the Tee Shirt & Tanning Touch in Fairfax, where members pay a $100 annual fee plus $5 each session, 60 to 75 suburbanites daily find the no-sand-in-your-suntan-oil experience. The salon has a mix of customers -- construction workers looking to rid themselves of T-shirt marks, housewives, waitresses, body-builders, college students and lawyers.
"We get a lot of lawyers," said Sandy Rawlins, 35, the owner. "Some keep their business suits on and just do their face and hands. Then they go right to trial, and they say it gives them a competitive edge."
At the Home Sweet Home tanning salon in suburban Rockville, where maintaining a year-round tan costs $360, the clientele is about 90 percent female, said owner Jerry Cullinane.
"You have your young executive types -- the movers and shakers," he said. "Mainly, executive secretaries. A lot of dental hygienists.
"Women that do use the tanning bed are in your upper category," he said. "If they were in a beauty contest, they'd do well."
Sue Pucher, a 38-year-old body-builder from Annandale, says she needs a total-body tan for competition. "It shows the cuts more," she said. "The definition of the muscles."
Duncan MacKercher, 24, a body-builder from Fairfax City, suns outside for fun, but when he's trying to acquire a serious tan, he visits an air-conditioned salon. "I don't sweat as much as I would outside," he said. "Yeah -- and no bugs, either."


text: Manufacturing Turkish factory output up 10.8%, car production soars 25.5% By Reuters June 13, 2022 Creative Commons Production in Turkey's automotive sector rose 25.5 percent year-on-year in May to 103,984 vehicles, with exports jumping 51.7 percent to 78,650 Turkish industrial production grew 10.8 percent year-on-year in April, data showed on Monday, more than a Reuters poll forecast of 8 percent and rising for a 22nd consecutive month, holding firm against a background of lira weakness and rampant inflation. Month-on-month, industrial output remained constant in April on a calendar and seasonally adjusted basis, the Turkish Statistical Institute said. Economists expect output growth to slow in coming months and approach neutral around summer. A potential drop in external demand or a supply chain disruption due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine could also hit production. Production in Turkey’s automotive sector rose 25.5 percent year-on-year in May to 103,984 vehicles, with exports jumping 51.7 percent to 78,650, the Automotive Manufacturers Association (OSD) said on Monday. Commercial vehicle production and exports led the growth in May, the OSD data showed. Automotive production fell 3.5 percent in the first five months of the year while exports fell 2.7 percent, according to the data.


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A person shops for groceries at Lincoln Market on March 10, 2022 in the Prospect Lefferts Garden neighborhood of Brooklyn borough in New York City.
Michael M. Santiago | Getty Images
New government inflation data shows prices are surging in one key area – food.
Now some states are looking at helping to reduce that burden on consumers by curbing their taxes on groceries.
But such moves may not be the most beneficial to those who such policies aim to help – low-income taxpayers, according to a new report from the Tax Foundation.
What’s more, the policies would only provide modest tax savings to the middle class, the report found.
More from Personal Finance:
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Smart money moves to make amid high inflation, rising interest rates
Ways to save money at the gas pump amid inflation
A better solution may be to provide a one-time credit of $75, for example, which could help the poorest households save 31% on their tax liability, the independent tax policy nonprofit found.
“There are far better ways to help lower- and middle-income households, including grocery tax credits, than the grocery tax exemption,” said Jared Walczak, vice president of state projects at the Tax Foundation.
Currently, 13 states impose levies on groceries.
Seven states tax groceries at the level of the ordinary sales tax rate, including Alabama, Mississippi and South Dakota. The other four states — Hawaii, Idaho, Kansas and Oklahoma — also provide a credit or rebate to low-income households.
The other six states —…
Read complete post here:


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Universal Music Group, UMG, has announced its strategic alliance with the global streaming music provider, Spotify.
The company disclosed the alliance in a statement on Thursday.
News.ng understands that the company is intensifying its partnership with Spotify following the public dispute between UMG and TikTok, which resulted in the label removing its entire catalogue from the video app earlier this year.
Instead of only being able to stream audio, American consumers will now be able to watch music videos thanks to the UMG agreement.
The firms did not specify which part of UMG’s catalogue would be made available as videos or which well-known performers’ videos would be featured.
Users of Spotify may now access a new “Switch to Video” option from the Now Playing Screen of the app to watch videos. Additionally, you may view the video in full-screen mode by turning your phone to landscape orientation.
Spotify will launch new social media and promotional tools as part of the new deal to assist artists in creating buzz for their upcoming albums.
For example, users will be able to pre-save music before a new release, and UMG artists will be able to offer teases of upcoming tracks.
Just yesterday, K-pop superstar BTS’s South Korean agency, HYBE, disclosed that it had extended its 10-year contract with Universal Music Group to include exclusive distribution rights for the musicians’ music.
“Universal Music Group will exclusively distribute physical albums and digital music released by labels under HYBE to the global market for the next 10 years,” HYBE said in a Korean-language statement.
The deal applies not only to “existing labels but also to new labels to be incorporated under HYBE” in future, it said.
News.ng earlier reported that Spotify revealed its intentions to allow music videos, stating that it would test the feature in beta in 11 specific locations in March.
The U.S. was not one of those markets at the time.
The business stated that instead, Brazil, Colombia, Germany, Indonesia, Italy, Kenya, the Netherlands, Poland, the Philippines, Sweden, and the United Kingdom would support the feature.


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Sumit Agnihotry is not allowed to take a pad of paper into business meetings anymore.
Under “”Terry’s new law,”” he and the others at Acer America Corp. are only authorized to carry the TravelMate 100 Tablet PC, one of the first neo-tablets expected to debut before the end of this year. Agnihotry,
Acer’s product manager for mobile products, stopped by my office Wednesday morning to demonstrate the device up close. Terry is Terry Tomecek, Acer America’s general manager, who came with him.
I first saw the TravelMate 100 in the MGM Grand in Las Vegas Nev., when Microsoft’s Bill Gates came walking out with one during his Comdex Fall 2001 keynote speech. It looked like an ordinary notebook when he opened it up, one with a fairly small 10-inch screen size. Suddenly, he took the display and twisted it around 360 degrees — it was like a high-tech version of Linda Blair’s head in the Exorcist — and then folded it back over the keyboard. Presto-chango, a laptop became a tablet. The crowd loved it. Although applications are always interesting, trade shows like Comdex are all about innovative hardware designs, and this got the event off to a great start.
Next week, at TechXNY in New York, Microsoft will reportedly show off a beta version of the Windows XP Tablet operating system Gates discussed at Comdex. This is the galvanizing force behind the efforts of Acer and others to bring these devices to market. It is at once a way of changing the mobile computing interface as we know it and a last-ditch effort to stall the long-term transition of laptops to commodity items like PCs.
Tablets, of course, have been around for many years in the medical and insurance markets, from companies like Xplore Technologies. But the promise of a specific MS platform gives the hardware vendors a reasonable guarantee that critical applications will be ported and potential killer apps created around the devices.
Tomecek says he first realized that tablets have a more horizontal market scope during a meeting recently at a software developer’s office. There was some number-crunching to be done, and he needed to consolidate some figures. “”I didn’t have a piece of paper,”” he says. “”It wasn’t my office.”” Instead, he turned to the TravelMate and started using a program Microsoft calls Journal, which allows users to turn the tablet into a functioning pad for handwritten notes.
This anecdote — along with Agnihotry’s insistence that he “”couldn’t live without it now”” — is the stuff of a run-of-the mill marketing campaign. The difference came when I held the tablet in my own hands and started spilling some digital ink of my own. At first I wasn’t able to make real letters. My experience with personal digital assistants has made me hesitant to press down hard on the screen with a stylus. But the TravelMate is not a touch-screen. The pen uses radio-frequency technology, and it is absolutely possible to use it like a regular writing implement and scribble away, as I did.
Acer’s twist-top design looks like something Apple should have come up with for the iBook two years ago. It successfully allows users to maintain the traditional experience of a keyboard while testing out an unfamiliar interface. IBM, which crashed and burned when it tried to launch a half-notepad/laptop called the TransNote last year, will almost certainly enter the fray. So will Sony (this idea is so Sony, it should already be in their stores next to the digital picture frames), and, eventually, HP. Indeed, the tablet opportunity will be a test of whether HP can make use of Compaq’s R&D lab, which has been tinkering with an Evo tablet/notebook combo of its own for several years.
The key spec here will be the weight of the device (the TravelMate is about eight pounds). They will have to get as light as possible quickly for executives to carry them around everywhere. Intel, Transmeta and other companies are working hard to shrink parts down and keep them cool in order to make this happen. The other deciding point will be the handwriting recognition applications that could turn notes into typewritten documents. Unless they are 100 per cent accurate, tablet makers could face the same struggle in managing user expectations as the companies who once specialized in speech recognition tools.
I loved the TravelMate, and it was a good preview to the kind of choices that will become available to people like me once Windows XP Tablet PC edition hits the market. If it takes off, this segment will probably be led by a very small set of vendors, the way Palm and Compaq succeeded in the handheld space. Acer seems like a front-runner here, but nothing is written in stone — we got rid of those tablets a long time ago.


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In the race to greater consumer adoption, augmented reality is emerging as the early leader, thanks to its adoption by a key consumer market.
The technology has always been a wonder, drawing its strength from its capacity to make just about any subject come to life, popping out of the real ground beneath our feet and conjuring up digital apparitions that serve as extensions of our own imagination onto the physical world around us.
That ability to create wonder in the everyday, without total immersion, also provides a clue for why AR adoption has been faster (aside from technical limitations that still bedevil VR). One indicator of how the market is apparently more comfortable with AR than it is with its immersive sibling, VR, is that one of its earliest adopters are toymakers. In fact, the Toy Industry Association named augmented reality and related technologies the top toy trend for 2016.
“Think of the drama, dance, fine art and sculpture opportunities that AR brings. Kids could watch famous actors perform Shakespeare monologues in their living room,” Catherine Allen, AR/VR specialist & kids app producer, who has worked on products like Barefoot World Atlas and Elmer’s Photo Patchwork, told me. “They could see what a famous Henry Moore sculpture looks like, in their garden!”
Earlier this month the AR startup Osmo, which creates board games, puzzle pieces and blocks that interact with mobile games and iPads, raised $24 million. More than 22,000 schools have adopted its products, a fivefold increase from a year ago, according to the company.
Many parents may be reluctant to expose their kids to VR experiences because of the lack of safety research. AR, on the other hand, isn’t immersive, and plays out as a digital layer that enhances, or enables further, what is possible to do in real life.
“One of the sweet spots for AR on phones and tablets is at the intersection of toys and games. I would generally call them kids products,” Jay Wright, president and general manager of Vuforia at PTC, the company behind the platforms that power many of the toys and games that run on AR, says. “Some are strictly for entertainment use, but many of them are designed to be educational. More and more of them are beginning to support STEM education.”
One example of this new push toward STEM-focused, educational gaming is SmartGurlz, an AR startup launched by an American expat living in Denmark.
It all began with the simple wish of its founder to help her teenage daughter with math, and evolved into an experience tailored to girls with the aim of instilling an interest in science and technology. The video-equipped “Siggy Robots” carry out missions and adventures that require its audience of young female players to learn to code along the way in order to complete each of the story-based challenges.
“This is really an exciting time where AR is used to reinspire learning again. Kids are now exposed to so much great technology in their leisure time and yet so little innovation goes into teaching,” Sharmi Albrechtsen, founder and CEO at SmartGurlz, says. “It’s really a pity — since it is a huge potential from a market perspective but also societal. Many kids lose interest in STEM because we have not been able to excite them!”
SmartGurlz launched last month and sold out on Amazon.
“I strongly believe that when it comes to STEM or teaching, the most important thing is to first capture the imagination of the students and then their curiosity,” Silas Adekunle, co-founder and CEO of Reach Robotics, a U.K.-based startup that combines robotics with AR in the gaming space, told me. “AR has so much potential to make classrooms more interactive and engaging, with new ways to visualize complex information.”
Other examples of AR-powered toys and games, many of them STEM-focused, that have hit the shelves this holiday season include: Hologrid: Monster Battle; Neobear Magnifier NEO; Virtual Explorer Antopia Adventure; AirHogs Connect Mission Drone; and Skylanders. And it hasn’t come with the kind of collateral damage or disruptive cost to traditional toymakers as we might have expected.
“The interesting part is that the products and manufacturers that succeed use technology to enhance the play value of the products they bring to market,” Reyne Rice, chief executive of ToyTrends told the BBC in September.
This new breed of digitized toys and games introduces a digital layer that creates additional value to the underlying business proposition for toymakers.
An example is Danish toymaker LEGO’s NEXO KNIGHTS, named “Toy of the Show” at the London Toy Fair 2016 and also powered by Vuforia. The AR component of its multi-platform gaming ecosystem depends, in part, on the expanded product line. For example, players can unlock new features, powers and game levels by purchasing new toy sets.
“If it can drive additional purchases of physical toys, that’s a really good model. It’s like the razor and razor blade dynamic. The digital game is the razor and the physical toys are the razor blades.” Wright says.
The digital soul that has been instilled in the physical toy allows for the industry to establish a stronger narrative with the kids who play its games and in turn only strengthens the way toymakers can market, engage and sell their products. Instead of threatening to cannibalize their current offering, AR actually serves to enhance and expand it.


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Perfect Match: Tennis and Timepieces
BY ROBERTA NAAS
Tennis is a sport that requires lightening speed, exactness, and split-second strokes. “Timing, precision, and accuracy are vitally important for me, whether that relates to fitness drills, measuring my performance, or striking a tennis ball,” says Andy Murray, gold and silver Olympic medalist tennis player and brand ambassador for Rado. Throughout the past two decades, the luxury Swiss watchmaker has served as the official timekeeper for a host of international tournaments, including the Aegon Championships in London, for which the brand recently signed on as the official watch partner. “Tennis is a sport that perfectly embodies key values of our brand, heritage, and products, including relentless determination, a proven love of pushing the boundaries and uncompromising attention to detail,” says Rado CEO Matthias Breschan.
Celebrating its 20th anniversary as the official timekeeper of the US Open tennis championships, Citizen Watch Company of America, Inc.—a staunch supporter of the USTA—is releasing a series of limited-edition US Open timepieces with Eco-Drive (light-powered) technology.
A host of other watch spokespersons will be competing at Arthur Ashe Stadium during the US Open (which takes place August 27 through September 9) including last year’s US Open winner Novak Djokovic, tennis brand ambassador for Audemars Piguet; TAG Heuer’s Maria Sharapova; and Roger Federer, one of Rolex’s more than half-dozen professional tennis player ambassadors. (Rolex has also served as the official timekeeper of the Wimbledon Championships since 1978.) Additionally Longines signed tennis greats Andre Agassi and Stefanie Graf as Ambassadors of Elegance.
Richard Mille designed a line in collaboration with 2012 French Open winner Rafael Nadal. So he could wear his watch while playing, Mille first created the RM 027 Tourbillon Rafael Nadal (the lightest mechanical watch). The limited edition of 50 pieces sold out this year; the RM 035 Rafael Nadal Chronofiable Certified with magnesium aluminum alloy case is the second watch in the Rafael Nadal series.
PHOTOGRAPHY BY BPI/ELLA LING (NADAL); GEORGE MAURO STUDIO LLC (CITIZEN)


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Thursday, 07 July 2011 14:34
When it comes to government corruption in New Jersey, apparently even the local health inspector is not above seeking a bribe.
Enock Moochi of Jersey City, an East Orange health inspector, has been arrested for allegedly soliciting a bribe from the owner of a small grocery store, the state attorney general’s office announced on Thursday.
Moochi, 51, is charged with second-degree bribery. He faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in state prison if convicted of the charge, including a mandatory minimum term of five years without possibility of parole under New Jersey’s penalty enhancements for public corruption.
Moochi was arrested on Wednesday as a result of an investigation by the State Police and the state Division of Criminal Justice.
Moochi allegedly solicited a $1,000 bribe from the owner of a small grocery store in East Orange last week, telling the owner that he would overlook health code violations that he had found in return for the bribe. Moochi allegedly agreed to accept the bribe in two separate payments of $500. He allegedly received one $500 payment from the store owner on June 30. He allegedly received the second $500 payment on Wednesday.
Moochi was arrested at the store by detectives of the State Police Official Corruption Bureau after he allegedly received the second payment from the owner.
Because the charge is an indictable offense, the case will be presented to a grand jury for potential indictment. Moochi was released without bail after being processed on the charge.
The investigation was conducted by Acting Lt. Glenn Lubertazzi, Acting Det. Sgt. First Class Geoffrey Forker, Acting Det. Sgt. Lisa King, Acting Det. Sgt. Mario DiRienzo, Det. Brian Murphy, Det. Oliver Sissman and Det. Pablo Castro of the State Police Official Corruption Bureau North Unit, and Deputy Attorney General Richard Queen.
â€”TOM HESTER SR., NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM


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Lidl Not Yet Coming to Alabama
Deep-discount grocer Lidl won’t be opening a store in Alabama yet, as the company has pulled out of a deal to purchase 4.4 acres of property belonging to the Calvary Assembly of God church in Decatur, according to a published report.
The property is now back on the market at a list price of $2.85 million, according to the Decatur Daily. The newspaper went on to quote Jeff Parker, of Parker Real Estate, as saying of the company, “They canceled the deal just like they canceled a bunch of others along the East Coast,” in an apparent reference to Lidl’s well-publicized scaling back of its aggressive U.S. expansion plans following a somewhat underwhelming performance in this country to date.
The Decatur Daily further reported that Batavia, Ill.-based rival chain Aldi is expanding its location in the city.
However, City Director of Development Wally Terry told the publication that in a note he wrote to Lidl officials, “I let them know we still want to be Lidl’s first home in Alabama.”
When reached for comment by Progressive Grocer, Lidl Director of Communications Will Harwood was at pains to emphasize that the company was continuing to roll out stores in the United States.
According to Harwood, the retailer has “not set any timelines for expansion into Alabama and [has] not announced plans for individual stores in the state. Lidl’s operational focus is along the East Coast, where we are currently expanding and opening stores.”
He added: “Lidl continues to receive positive feedback from our customers, and we look forward to introducing Lidl’s unique offering and incredible prices to more communities as we expand.”
The company’s most recent location made its official debut in Florence, S.C., on May 24.
Based in Germany, Lidl operates 10,000-plus stores in 28 countries. Its U.S. headquarters is in Arlington County, Va.


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China Unicom is still struggling to meet the huge demand for the Apple smartphone to its pre-orders customers. Few days ago, it was reported that China Unicom has received 200,000 pre-orders for the Apple smartphone. But on Saturday it was reveal that they have only able to fulfill only 60,000 orders China iPhone 4 launch.
Well this year’s iPhone 4 has all the features as its US version, including Wi-Fi capability. That should mean fewer people would choose gray market, and resulting in higher demand for the official China iPhone carrier, if they didn’t already buy the iPhone 4 from abroad already.
Moreover, it was also reported that iPhone 4 continues to be on backorder for 3 weeks from Apple Stores and retail partners around the world.


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Hurricane season is upon us, folks, and manufactured-housing and mobile-home investors are hoping that means good things for companies such as Champion Enterprises
As we head into the season (and more immediately, the weekend), let's take a quick look ahead at what Monday afternoon might hold for investors in this company, when it reports its Q2 2006 results.
What analysts say:
- Buy, sell, or waffle? Four analysts now follow Champion, one more than last quarter. But they're still unanimous in rating the stock a buy.
- Revenues. They're looking for the company to post 30% sales growth to $412.7 million, a figure helped along by the company's recent acquisition of U.K. subsidiary Calsafe Group.
- Earnings. Analysts are also looking for a 44% rise in profits, to $0.26 per share.
What management says:
Better late than never. In reporting on its financial results for last quarter, Champion noted that its operating cash flow rose "sharply" in Q1, more than quintupling the previous year's $5.1 million as the U.S. government paid up for many of its hurricane-related manufactured-housing orders. Total cash infusion from the feds: $17 million out of $27 million total. While the company didn't say so explicitly, I'd bet we'll see more of the same in Monday's news; as of April, Champion still had $46 million in accounts receivable outstanding, and I'm guessing a fair share of that amount will come in the form of checks bearing FEMA's signature.
Even better, as the cash payments roll in, Champion's cash outlays to build housing for the Feds appear to be over for the time being. The company said it completed its final delivery of 627 manufactured homes to FEMA last quarter.
Champion's profitability is looking nearly as good from an accounting-profits perspective. Over the past 18 months, the company has boosted its gross margin, holding it fairly steady despite record-high raw-materials costs. Operating profitability is also up, and the 180-basis-point increase in Champion's net means that the company is twice as profitable under GAAP today as it was a year and a half ago.
One Fool says:
All we need now is for the company to keep its sales rising. But can it have done that in the hurricane-free second quarter? I see no reason why not. First, the company has made two significant acquisitions that will add to its revenue streams: the Calsafe buy mentioned above, and the March purchase of Minnesota-based Highland Manufacturing Company. Moreover, Champion pointed out that although last quarter's sales growth of 39% year over year depended to a large extent on FEMA orders, even without those extra sales, the company would have grown its revenues by 29%.
Long story short, Champion doesn't need disaster to strike others for it to do well. The company does just fine when everything goes well for everybody, too.
- Berkshire Hathaway
- Drew Industries
Read more about Champion in:
- Foolish Forecast: Champion Enters the Ring
- Will This Champion Knock Out the Competition?
- Trailer Park Treasures
Fool contributorRich Smithdoes not own shares of any company named above.


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• 461 million euros generated by fees from online services
• More than 5 million people in Germany pay for online services
• German games industry tops 6-billion-euro mark
Sales revenue generated by fees from online services in Germany rose significantly once again. The segment grossed approximately 461 million euros in 2019, which is an increase of 30 per cent compared to 2018 (353 million euros) – and even that year, the segment had nearly doubled, with growth of 97 per cent. These are the figures released today by game – the German Games Industry Association, based on data collected by the market research company GfK. Fee-based online services are currently available in multiple versions and for a range of different gaming platforms. For example, services on consoles including Nintendo Switch Online, PlayStation Plus and Xbox Live Gold offer options such as playing online with and against other players, saving games in the cloud and receiving discounts on games and expansions. Subscription services for PC such as Origin Access Premier (EA) and Uplay+ (Ubisoft) allow players to pay a fixed monthly fee to access a huge rotating library of games and to play some new games before the release date. With cloud gaming services such as Google Stadia Pro and PlayStation Now, on the other hand, gamers no longer need high-performance hardware to play titles with their full range of graphics, as the computing power to run the games is provided in the cloud. Monthly fees for online services can range from 4 to 10 euros, depending on the provider. Last year, a total of approximately 5.1 million gamers paid for these fee-based services, which is around 300,000 people more than in 2018 (4.8 million).
In Germany, growing numbers of gamers are discovering fee-based online services that give them access to an enormous selection of the latest hot titles, offers and discounts for a monthly fee. The strong growth in this segment also indicates how much the games market is currently changing: long-term access and usage rights for games are becoming much more important than purchasing individual titles,’ says Felix Falk, Managing Director of game. ‘Cloud gaming services are an interesting option for many gamers, particularly if we consider future trends and blockbuster titles that require a lot of processing power. All the heavy processing takes place in data centres, so the players themselves no longer need particularly high-performance hardware. There’s a lot going on in this budding market segment at the moment, and we expect to hear much more about it in future.’
German games market grows by 6 per cent
As already reported by game, the German games market grew by 6 per cent in 2019, to around 6.2 billion euros. Sales of games hardware, including consoles, gaming PCs and accessories, dropped by 2 per cent from the previous year, to 2.4 billion euros. In contrast, the market for games software showed a gain of 11 per cent: in 2019, a total of about 3.9 billion euros was spent on computer and video games and the charges for the respective online services.
About the market data
The current data takes into account further dedicated games hardware like gaming PCs and the corresponding accessories, resulting in a larger market size than previously reported. This is true also of the adjusted data for 2018, which accordingly differs from that reported last year.
The market data is based on statistics compiled by GfK, the GfK Consumer Panel and App Annie. The methods used by GfK to collect data on Germany’s digital games market are unique in terms of both their quality and their global use. They include an ongoing survey of 25,000 consumers who are representative of the German population as a whole regarding their digital game purchasing and usage habits, as well as a retail panel. The data collection methods provide a unique insight into the German market for computer and video games.
game – the German Games Industry Association
We are the association of the German games industry. Our members include developers, publishers and many other games industry actors such as esports event organisers, educational establishments and service providers. As a joint organiser of gamescom, we are responsible for the world’s biggest event for computer and video games. We are an expert partner for media and for political and social institutions, and answer questions relating to market development, games culture and media literacy. Our mission is to make Germany the best games location.
Neccton partners with Germany’s first online slot provider
Responsible gambling software experts bring the power of mentor to players of Die-Spielbank.de, the first state-owned operator of virtual slots within Germany
Market-leading compliance software experts Neccton have landed another major partner in Germany, with Sächsische Spielbanken-GmbH & Co. KG. Their online slots product went live in January 2023 under Die-Spielbank.de.
As the first state provider allowed to run virtual slot games with real-money prizes, the operator has attracted a lot of attention; therefore the company has acted wisely when it comes to player protection, adopting Neccton’s mentor software as its RG and AML solution.
Neccton’s success in Germany’s burgeoning online gaming market is both a testament to the company’s background in RG research, and the industry’s forward-thinking approach to player protection.
Neccton’s software was developed as a result of over 15 years of academic research by Dr Michael Auer, company director and head of development. Dr Auer is regarded as one of the world’s leading lights in academic RG research, and mentor is the very fruit of his work. Dr Auer’s research is also commonly cited by regulatory bodies in operator guidelines.
As a result, Die-Spielbank.de players are now protected by mentor’s AI-driven real-time data analysis, which tracks possible problematic gambling behaviour and works to help both players and operators to identify potential issues early. The tool recognises triggers such as a significant increase in deposit frequency, and alerts the operator and directly contacts the player, helping the end user make better-informed decisions.
mentor also includes modules for Fraud, AML and a CRM so Neccton’s customers can solve many issues with a single supplier.
Dr Auer said of the new partnership: “It speaks volumes that so many operators in this new market have opted to work with us for their player protection and more. Working with us means that player issues can be detected early – but also, my research has shown that players who gamble responsibly are more loyal, and their customer lifetime is significantly longer. It truly makes financial sense for operators to protect their players, and that is precisely what we do to everyone’s benefit.”
Kurt Böhm, Head of Online Casino Operations, is very confident about this partnership: “Neccton’s mentor software is well known and proven within the iGaming industry. Therefore we trust the software and are delighted about the partnership with Neccton. We are looking forward working closely with Dr Michael Auer and the whole Neccton team.”
These are the most successful new games in Germany in 2022
Be it exciting sports games, games for the entire family, epic journeys into fantastical worlds, or action-packed adventure – 2022 offered a wide range of video game titles to choose from. This can be seen in the German annual charts for the bestselling PC and console games that were released in 2022. The hit sports game ‘EA SPORTS FIFA 23’ (Electronic Arts) captured first place in the list of bestselling new game releases in 2022. Another major success: ‘Pokémon Legends: Arceus’ (Nintendo) from the popular Pokémon series for the Nintendo Switch. This action role-playing game took second place in the list of bestselling games for the year just ended. Third place in the German charts for 2022 was secured by the award-winning open-world game ‘ELDEN RING’ (Bandai Namco Entertainment), which was the result of a collaboration between game developer Hidetaka Miyazaki and author George R. R. Martin. Just two months after its release at the end of October 2022, first-person shooter game ‘Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II’ (Activision) made it into fourth place. It was followed in fifth place by the action-adventure game ‘LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga’ (Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment), whose missions are based on the most important events from the nine ‘Star Wars’ films.
The 20 bestselling PC and console games in 2022:
Information on the annual charts
The annual charts for 2022 list the games released that year for PCs and game consoles that were most often sold – physically and digitally, across platforms – in Germany in 2022. The data is gathered by Games Sales Data (GSD), a platform operated by the Interactive Software Federation of Europe (ISFE). Digital sales of Nintendo titles from the Nintendo eShop are not included.
PRAGMATIC PLAY BROADENS CZECH PRESENCE WITH FORBES CASINO
Pragmatic Play, a leading content provider to the iGaming industry, has signed a strategic partnership with Forbes Casino in the Czech Republic.
The agreement provides Forbes Casino users with 12 of the provider’s high-performing Slots, including player favourite Sugar Rush™ and multi-award-winning titles such as Gates of Olympus™ and Wolf Gold™. In total, 50 of Pragmatic Play’s Slot games are now certified across the regulated Czech market.
Forbes Casino is a recently established online brand of Victoria Tip a.s., one of the most successful operators of brick-and-mortar casinos in the country.
The latest partnership for Pragmatic Play adds to its growing presence across Europe and cements its position as a key player in the Czech Republic.
Irina Cornides, Chief Operating Officer at Pragmatic Play, said: “Forbes Casino is built on a rich history of providing high-quality casino experiences to players in the Czech Republic, and we are honoured to expand on that with the addition of Pragmatic Play titles to their online operation.
“With a strong commitment to our craft and dedication to responsible gambling, we are excited that even more players in this growing regulated market can now enjoy our globally popular games.”
Petr Žemba, Project Manager at Forbes Casino, said: “When looking at collaborators for our online operations, we know brand reputation is of utmost importance to our users, partnering with such a well-established provider as Pragmatic Play is a victory in itself.
“We know our customers are going to love the titles that we’ve added which have already proved to be a big hit across the wider European market and beyond. We look forward to seeing where this deal can take us and the new heights we can reach on Forbes Casino.”
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Returns, Sales, and Gift Cards Are Reasons Why Christmas Shopping Continues Even After The Holiday
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Holiday retail sales spiked 7.5% compared to last year and we shouldn’t expect the purchases to slow down just yet. Many shoppers hit the stores on Monday.
“Some are doing returns and some are using those gift cards they got in their stockings yesterday,” said General Manager of Charlotte Premium Outlets.
The National Retail Federation is expecting about 18% of holiday sales to be returned. That’s worth about $171 billion.
The NRF also estimates 70% of shoppers will shop the week after christmas.
“We are going to see lots of families the day after christmas. There’s usually family in town so they spend the day out together shopping,” explained Campbell.
About 75% of shoppers say they are shopping after Christmas to use their gifts or to take advantage of the ongoing holiday deals.


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The company has already made 500 applications available to users by way of iTunes and the iPhone 2.0 software upgrade.
The update foreshadows the hotly anticipated iPhone 3G, which is set to go on sale on 12 July.
Companies already offering iPhone applications include Facebook, Flickr, Cisco and eBay.
Google is offering a search application that scours the user's iPhone and the web and can offer map information based on the user's location.
Games vendor Electronic Arts is already offering Sudoku, Tetris and Scrabble games for the handset.
The initial round of iPhone app store offerings are the first to be developed with Apple's iPhone SDK.
Tim Westergren, founder and chief strategy officer at Pandora, told vnunet.com that the development experience for the iPhone was more like a desktop app than a mobile phone application.
Pandora developed a standalone music player for the device which taps into a user's online Pandora account and syncs stations and song preferences from the service.
Westergren explained that the iPhone player was so successful that elements of it will be used for the next web-based Pandora player.
"The nice thing about it is that it has all these tools," Westergren said of the SDK. "It allows us to do a great application."
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New varieties bring new attributes to table grapes
June 10, 2015
They look like grapes, but they taste like candy, strawberries, pineapple and many other interesting flavors—and today’s table grapes also come in new colors and unexpected shapes.
David Cain, head of plant breeding activities for Bakersfield-based International Fruit Genetics, said there’s a big shift going on right now in grape production, in California and around the world. Older, labor- and water-intensive grape varieties are being phased out, as farmers plant eye-catching, taste-tickling varieties with higher yields.
“Growers come to our company asking about new varieties,” Cain said, adding that a number are looking to replace older varieties, such as Thompson seedless and autumn royal. “They want to try something new.”
He said the company doesn’t create genetically engineered crops; instead, new varieties are created using advanced breeding techniques in traditional approaches. IFG was founded in 2001 by table grape grower Jack Pandol Jr. and the owners of Sunridge Nurseries, Glen and Terrie Stoller.
It used to be that new plant varieties were developed during years of study and experimentation, involving research activities at both the U.S. Department of Agriculture and universities. But these days, a lot of that painstaking work is being done by private plant breeders such as Cain and IFG.
Ryan Seacrest Tries Cotton Candy Grapes
August 09, 2013
You've heard of hybrid cars and cross-breed dogs ... but what about fruit?
The latest craze to come ut of California is cotton candy-flavored grapes, which sounds both yummy and confusing.
On Friday's On Air with Ryan Seacrest, the team tried the new "invention" from "fruit breeders" and our reaction will probably surprise you.
"I don't know that they necessarily go together," says Ryan. Still, once he popped a grape, "They taste just like cotton candy. It's not right. It's ridiculous ... you should pass those around to everyone. It's like getting cotton candy, but also health! It's so good. Remember when I was talking badly about fruit breeders? ... They're amazing!"
Cotton Candy® A Sweet Spin On Designer Fruit
August 06, 2013 - by Michaeleen Doucleff
Can't we just leave our fruit alone?
Last year, apple farmers were their fruit in grape flavor to make them more attractive to kids. Now, plant breeders in California have created a grape that tastes like — well, spun sugar and air.
That's right, Salties. Say hello to the Cotton Candy grape.
Cotton Candy® In The News
May 13, 2013
Table grapes come in many varieties, red, green, seedless, and now cotton candy. It isn't something most people would associate with the flavor of a grape but International Fruit Genetics created a variety it says tastes just like spun sugar.
International Fruit Genetics General Manager David Cain said, "It tastes quite a bit like cotton candy."
It's been eight years in the making. Cain says by breeding wild grape species, they've developed the unique flavor.
"This is all natural and we don't do any genetic engineering or anything," said Cain.
It's not a simple process. They start by pollinating the vines by hand. Cain says there are anywhere from 300 to 1,000 flowers on each of the 2,000 clusters.


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In June, the USDA announced the appointments of 22 members to the reactivated Advisory Committee on Biotechnology and 21st Century Agriculture. Panel members include representatives from the biotech industry, farming communities, the seed industry, food manufacturers, consumer groups, and the organic food industry, including Dr. Benbrook.
Some organic advocates are not impressed. Re-establishing these advisory committees “appears to be window dressing,” said Jim Riddle, organic outreach coordinator of the University of Minnesota’s Southwest Research and Outreach Center in Winona. “Even if they are fully well-intentioned, if they come up with any substantive proposals that would cause the biotech industry to indemnify non-GM growers for losses incurred through genetic trespass, I don’t think it has a chance of seeing the light of day,” Riddle told Food Quality magazine. As Kastel puts it: “Coexistence is totally inadequate.”
The pragmatists continue to seek solutions. A number of coalitions and industry groups have been formed to discuss transgenes and other issues. The latest such policy group is called AGree, a bipartisan organization launched in May to tackle overarching issues involving nutrition, the economy, environment, and production. AGree is funded by the Ford Foundation, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the William & Flora Hewlett Foundation, and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, among others.
The influence of the pragmatics is also a function of the organic industry’s growth. Dozens of organic companies have been acquired by large conventional food processors. Nearly half of the 30 largest food processors have acquired or entered into a strategic alliance with an organic brand.
“Our current food system is broken for farmers, consumers, and the environment,” said Gary Hirshberg, president and chief executive of organic yogurt company Stonyfield Farm and one of AGree’s leaders. “We must move beyond the political knee-jerk defense of traditional agriculture and face the need for change armed with real-world, scientific facts and analysis that AGree can provide,” he said in a statement.
The influence of the pragmatics is also a function of the organic industry’s growth. Dozens of successful organic companies have been acquired by large conventional food processing companies. Dean Foods, for instance, owns Horizon Organic dairy and WhiteWave/Silk brand soy milk. The Coca-Cola Co. owns Odwalla juices. Nearly half of the 30 largest food processing companies have acquired or entered into a strategic alliance with an organic brand, says Philip H. Howard, PhD, assistant professor of community, food, and agriculture at Michigan State University in East Lansing.
This trend is to be expected as the organic industry grows. As for future acquisitions, most of the pioneering organic companies that had been available for acquisition have been snapped up, and many of the older, large companies that are still independent have decided to remain so as a matter of principle. “Most of the acquisitions now are of companies that started later and have been able to reach a size to make an attractive takeover target,” Dr. Howard told Food Quality magazine.
Ted Agres is a writer based in Laurel, Md. Reach him at email@example.com


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Press Release (ePRNews.com) - FOLKESTONE, England - Jul 29, 2016 - Kent Digital Marketing Specialists – Whitefish Marketing have won the silver award at this year’s Kent Digital Awards due to their high levels of social media engagement for The UK College of English
Whitefish Marketing won silver at this year’s Kent Digital Awards, which were held at Brands Hatch on the 23rd June. The social activity conducted for their client – UK College of English – won Whitefish Marketing the silver award for “Best use of Social Media for Business”. Whitefish Marketing help maintain their client’s social media accounts and UKCE have noticed a positive improvement, witnessing their social activity quadruple, with strong levels of interaction and engagement across multiple languages.
Chris Surridge – Marketing Director of Whitefish Marketing discussed the events
“It’s a great feeling to be recognised for these achievements, and I know our client is equally happy with the result. We have been fortunate to win 2 bronze awards in the past, and this time we’ve taken the silver. Only the gold eludes us, but there’s always next year!”
Whitefish Marketing have also attained other awards for their efforts in the digital marketing sector where last year they received the Bronze award at the (KDA) 2015 for their “Online Marketing Campaign” and this year winning another Bronze at the Essex Digital Awards (EDA) 2016 for “Best Educational Website”, for their involvement on the UKCE’s parent website: UK College of Business and Computing. Source :


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Just when you thought that taking a nice, long hot bath was a relaxing experience, think again. According to U. S. White House appointed Drug Czar Gil Kerlikowske the buying of some bath salts is being used for people to achieve an amphetamine-like high.
Two substances found in some bath salts called MDPV and mephedrone are being called ‘designer drugs’ by police since there are no laws governing their sale or use, yet they give similar effects to illicit drugs and have been linked to deaths across the U. S.
These two substances are unlicensed and unregulated in most states though some states such as Hawaii, Louisiana and Michigan have started to crack down on their usage. Europe and Australia have already seen these bath salt substances spread like wildfire with many deaths associated with ingestion.
Because the molecular structure of these “bath salts” is slightly different that illicit and banned substances, manufacturers have been getting away with selling these designer drugs under names like bath salts, plant food, or research chemicals.
Australia and New Zealand have banned many of these designer drugs based upon chemical structure, so that any substance that is substantially similar to an illicit drug on a molecular level is banned. The U. S. has yet to catch up on this kind of crackdown.